(Motives Towards Organizational Green Behaviors: A Qualitative Research on the Private School Teachers)

Abstract

Purpose – Education is one of the most effective tools that will shape the World of tomorrow and can be used to cope with the challenges of the future. At the same time, education has an important role in initiating attitudes towards sustainability. Like public schools, private schools play a key role in reducing the pressure on the natural environment and achieving environmental sustainability as well. Teachers of private schools are expected to develop green behaviors that will positively affect the environment or reduce the negative impact on the environment with the awareness of being a role model and affect their students. The aim of this study is to determine the motivations that push private school teachers to perform green organizational behaviors. Design/methodology/approach – In this research, qualitative research method was used and qualitative interviews were performed with 20 teachers who worked in three different private schools being active on two separate cities. In determining of participants snowball sampling method was used, interviews were made face to face and Maxqda 2018 qualitative data analysis program was used in analysing of interviews. Findings – As a result of the study, it was found that the motives that can be collected in four themes (impression management motives, green motives, prosocial motives and organizational citizenship motives) lead the teachers to green organizational behavior. Discussion – Within the scope of impression management motives, teachers mostly displayed "exemplification" tactics on their students and displayed green organizational behaviors as "ingratiation" tactics on the parents. In addition, environmental sustainability concerns as a green motivation and social benefit have influenced green organizational behavior as a prosocial motive while at the same time some participants have perceived green behavior as organizational citizenship behavior.